LAKESIDE  In high school PE classes decades ago, it was common to hear chants of “first captain, first choose” echo across the courts and fields.

Those who were anointed captains had first crack at selecting the biggest, fastest and most skilled players. And so they did.

If that practice were in place today, players such as El Capitan High’s Tyson Kygar could easily get lost in the shuffle. The Vaqueros senior is 5-feet-10, 160 pounds — on a good day.

“I played soccer most of my youth where size doesn’t really matter,” Kygar said, “but once I reached eighth grade I switched to basketball and ever since then all I’ve heard is how small I am.

“That’s OK. I take it as a challenge. I want to prove to people that they’re wrong.”

In 48 games over the past two seasons, Kygar has 1,193 points for a scoring average of 24.9. He’s proven he can score from any place on the court, which includes nailing 201 three-pointers.

He’s also used his quickness to attack the basket. That’s led him to the free throw line 295 times, where he has converted 232 for a success rate of 78.6 percent.

Nestor Ramirez is Kygar’s backcourt mate for El Capitan (15-6), which plays at 7 tonight against host Mount Miguel (16-3) in a Grossmont Valley League game.

“Tyson’s not greedy,” Ramirez said. “He tries to get everybody involved. He creates offense and makes steals to lead our transition game. He’s always aware of where the ball is and what the situation is. He’s an ideal leader.”

Nobody in East County is more deadly from long distance than Kygar, who has been known to strike from 35 feet.

“You won’t see many guys shoot farther from the basket with more success than Tyson,” Ramirez said. “But now there are no surprises. Everyone knows what he can do so he has to take the ball to the rack a lot more than he did in the preseason.”

El Capitan coach Jason Cavazos is not surprised that Kygar is among the stat leaders in several categories. Kygar’s 25.8 scoring average this season is among the top five in the San Diego Section behind leader Javion Watson of San Ysidro (29.2), and Kygar’s 122 steals lead East County.

“If the gym was open 24 hours a day you could bet that Tyson would be in there most of that time,” Cavazos said. “We have to lock the door to keep him out of there.”

That’s not a problem for Kygar, whose dad built him a concrete basketball half-court at their Lakeside home.

“They got the old backboard from his church and he invites all of us to play pickup games there every day,” Ramirez said.

Kygar’s opponents recognize his skill level.

“He’s not one of those guys who shoots every time he has the ball,” Granite Hills coach Randy Anderson said. “He’s an unselfish player who never lets up. He can beat you a lot of ways.”

Kygar, who also plays volleyball, is a blue-chipper in the classroom with a 3.5 grade-point average. He hopes to continue his athletic career on the basketball court.

“To me basketball is a lifestyle,” he said. “I love the emotion of the game, and I’m not ready to give it up.”